“The AWS makes such a difference in the overall output of a track that nothing comes even close to its sound. This is a must-have console”

EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS – EDM producer Raoul van Grinsven, has added an SSL AWS Hybrid Console/Controller to his Innersound Studios in Eindhoven, Holland. van Grinsven is part of a new wave of electronic producers discovering the unique difference an SSL SuperAnalogueTM audio console can make to the final mix and is using his AWS for mixing and mastering a range of EDM projects. Also known as the hardstyle DJ Zany, van Grinsven regularly tours major dance venues across Europe, Australia and the U.S. When he’s in the studio, the AWS gives van Grinsven new clarity and depth to his sound.

The main mission of Innersound Studios is creating, mixing and mastering EDM productions for Zany performances. “Most of the time, I’m producing new tracks here to use in my live shows,” says van Grinsven. “I wanted the AWS because I can use it in combination with my existing setup, which includes a combination of several different DAWs. The console makes what I do and the way I do it better. The sound quality is far above any console I’ve been working on and the integration with DAWs I use, like Cubase, Studio One, Bitwig and Logic, makes this console the perfect digital controller. The analogue mixing capabilities are vast and the sound quality allows us to do vocal sessions here for our productions. With the AWS, we can keep the productions in-house as much as possible, and that is really important to me because I prefer to work on all projects myself, without relying on a third-party studio.”

The combination of analogue console technology with Total RecallTM and advanced DAW control has been a key factor to van Grinsven’s artistic style. “I’ve totally integrated the AWS with my DAWs, so I can easily control all automation data,” he explains. “Even editing VSTs is an option, which can come in handy if you’re using these a lot. I’m more of a hardware producer, so I’ve been routing all my external synths into my computer, which allows me to add software plug-ins on top of the sound. From there, I route everything through the console, where I finalize the sounds with the SSL EQs. The overall sound of SSL’s EQ and compression makes my productions sound like they never did before with the additional bonus of having Total RecallTM to streamline my workflow.”

For van Grinsven, it is the sonic edge the AWS brings that makes the big difference. “The first thing I did after the AWS was installed was, of course, to remix a track I previously mixed in-the-box and compared the sound,” he continues. “I opened this project in my DAW and started to mix it down on the SSL without EQ and compression; just summing the tracks. The difference was immediately enormous, the whole mix opened up in a snap and everything just had its own place directly in the mix, so you can imagine what it did when I started to use the AWS EQs and compression. So far, everyone I’ve worked with is being blown away by its sound. The AWS makes such a difference in the overall output of a track that nothing comes even close to its sound. This is a must-have console.”